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San Diego Padres superstars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado utilized their off-day this week with a heartwarming activity. The pair visited the baseball academy of their new teammate Jason Heyward, sending the young kids at the venue into a frenzy.
MLB lauded the actions of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado with their response on social media. The Padres faithful were particularly delighted by the gesture from their two franchise players.
The Jason Heyward Baseball Academy is located at N Laramie Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Heyward had played seven seasons for the Chicago Cubs and was influential in their historic World Series triumph in 2016. The academy was opened in 2023, a year after he had left the team.
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Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado were mobbed by the kids when they arrived at the venue. Tatis Jr. exchanged high-fives with the young ones, and Machado appeared to be signing autographs for them, while Heyward seemed delighted with their interactions. The trio also posed for a group photo with all the children and the staff at the academy.
MLB uploaded a short clip of the event on Instagram, as MLB fans posted their thoughts in the comments section.
"Tatis is the people's champ," said one Padres fan.
"Man of the people," stated another Friars fan.
"Padres are the people's team, and it's never been close," another one wrote.
The fans shared some more interesting comments on Instagram.
"This would be me seeing Manny Machado, too," wrote one fan.
"Straight awesome," said another fan.
"Just made some fans for life," remarked another.
Jason Heyward played a season and a half for their archrivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, before he was traded to the Houston Astros last year. Heyward had previously brought his Dodgers teammates over to visit his academy as well.
Fernando Tatis Jr. reflects on his recent injury
Fernando Tatis Jr. has not featured for the Padres in the past couple of games after tweaking his surgically repaired left shoulder on Tuesday. The Padres have sidelined the right fielder following the 10-4 loss to the Athletics, although he has not been placed on the IL.
"I felt it once doing exercises, but on the field, I haven’t felt anything until this time," Tatis later told reporters. "But I have felt this before. I have dealt with this before multiple times, different ways. So, it’s something that we can definitely handle."
Padres manager Mike Shildt indicated on Friday that the two-time All-Star will be omitted from the lineup for at least the next couple of days. They have been the best team in the MLB so far, as they extended their record to 11-3 after beating the Colorado Rockies in their series opener at Petco Park on Friday.
